Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante is a heavy hitter, but he knows a thing or two about putting things delicately. “It took a long time to finish,” he says about Worship Music, the first Anthrax album since 2003’s We’ve Come for You All, and the first to feature vocalist Joey Belladona…
Just over two minutes. That’s how long it takes Cheap Time’s song “People Talk” to embed itself firmly in your brain. It’s a scuzzy bit of candy pop, all buzzsaw guitars, incessant bass, crashing cymbals, and snotty vocals, recalling the band’s ’70s influences like Milk ‘n’ Cookies, The Quick, and…
The music of Carla Bozulich’s voice is a knotty, twisted thing, weaving tense words around slinking melodies and discordant clangs of percussion and keys. Bozulich played in alt-country band The Geraldine Fibbers in the ’90s and scored a few near-hits with that group, but in recent years, she’s devoted herself…
Carla Bozulich has a distinct voice, and an even more distinct outlook on music. “I’m really excited when there are people in the audience who seem to be hating the show. It’s like a magnet; I can’t help it,” she says. Bozulich’s new album as a member of her group…
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly feature, Sound Off, where Jason P. Woodbury is joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please email…
John Holmberg has been at the helm of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness on KUPD for 10 years. The weight of the fact does not escape him. “Wow,” Holmberg says over the phone, his trademark voice in full effect. “[That] makes me feel old. Makes me feel useless. This is not the…
We were pretty sure it was legit when we blogged about it last week, but now it’s totally confirmed: The Moz is headed to Phoenix, scheduled to play the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday, November 20 courtesy of Luckyman Online…
If you’ve ever been dumped, you know the therapeutic value of locking the doors, shuttering the windows, and losing your sorrow in a movie marathon. We’ve all got our favorites films and actors– and for Cary Miller, who runs Surface to Air Records and fronts the rock band Terrible People…
Long ago — or earlier this year — I used to DJ Ten High Tuesdays at the Yucca Tap Room, spinning power-pop, soul, and whatever else I felt like. I liked to think of myself as pretty eclectic, but I generally tried to keep to things that people could dance…
Sade and John Legend U.S. Airways Center Friday, September 2, 2011 REVIEW BY DAN GIBSON Sade (the woman, not the band) doesn’t seem like she has to work very hard live. If there’s ever an audience willing to plunk down $149 for the good seats, load up on $25 glossy…
Oh, Labor Day weekend. Don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for it. There’s plenty of stuff going on this weekend, and we’ve tried to cover the gamut. Tonight you can catch Sade at US Airwaves and Gucci Mane at Celebrity Theatre, tomorrow brings Neon Trees, Peachcake, and iamwe…
Today, electronic project Chemtrails released a conspiracy-theory addled dubstep jam called “Inside Job” on YouTube, featuring vocals from Captain Squeegee’s Danny Torgersen. Some people don’t like dubstep. Some people aren’t particularly fond of watching videos of the September 11 attacks. This video is not for those kinds of people…
Remember when April Ludgate-Dwyer (played by Aubrey Plaza) of NBC’s Parks and Recreation said that her favorite band was Neutral Milk Hotel in an episode last season? That ruled. It was surreal hearing that particular band name dropped on network television — NMH isn’t your garden variety hip reference. The…
It was only yesterday that I was sharing the news of Smiths-related activity in Phoenix, including former-Smiths bassist Andy Rourke’s DJ set at Bar Smith this Friday, and the upcoming performance by Los Esmiths, Calexico, California’s premier Smiths tribute band, at Rips Ales and Cocktails. But it looks like I…
This week, New Times ran a list in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up On The Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. Why did DMX get arrested last week? What underground hip-hop is Yaya Martinez bringing to Power…
Once awash in blogosphere love, Cold War Kids have experienced a shift in buzz. The band’s third album, Mine Is Yours, was supposed to launch them into the big time, breaking them through the way Kings of Leon’s third album did for that band. Yet the record hasn’t quite taken,…
Welcome to the first installment of our new weekly feature, Sound Off, where I will be joined by a different guest each week to listen to and discuss three tracks from local Phoenix artists. If you would like your songs to be considered for future Sound Off columns, please email…
Jack White and I.C.P. have one thing in common — they love screwing with people’s expectations. Scratch that, they’ve got two things in common. Just listen to “Leck Mich Im Arsch,” the new single that combines unlikely collaborators Jack White, I.C.P., Mozart, and Jeff, the Brotherhood. I’ve spent plenty of…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but conventional wisdom suggests that fans of Morrisey and The Smiths are prone to naval gazing, crying, and a lot of black clothing. But that’s all stereotyping, right? You don’t have to be a depressive to dig the band. Even Fred “I…
Earlier this year, I pissed off a whole bunch of Aaron Lewis/Staind fans when I claimed that Lewis’ song “Country Boy” was a “gone country” cash-in. Let me tell ‘ya — Lewis’ fans are a feisty bunch. One even tweeted at me, insulting the jacket I was wearing in my…
Devin Fleenor of Mr. Meeble is a busy guy. Talking over the phone, he explains to me that, somehow, he’s got to finish mixing a few songs, line them up on disc, and then burn a 100 or so copies before waking up early and catching a flight to Europe…
Emo pop and pop country aren’t separated by much distance when it comes to thematic material, though skinny-jeaned balladeers tend to sing about trucks less. So when I read that the fresh-faced Scottsdale quintet The Summer Set was taking on country star Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” for Billboard’s Mashup Mondays,…
